Scotland's British Eventing season got underway last weekend despite suffering the "worst conditions at Kirriemuir" for more than eight years.

Heavy rainfall early on Sunday morning left the event "touch and go" in its early stages, according to Auchlishie Farm owner and event organiser James Helyer, and vehicles had to be towed on and off the showfield.

But Mr Helyer said despite an emergency meeting at 9am, the organising committee were determined to see through the competition, which had attracted and all-time record entry of more than 290 combinations.

Ultimately, only a handful of withdrawals meant 271 horses and riders took part at Kirriemuir.

The event provided a brilliant start to the season for East Lothian-based rider Sonya Cunningham, who completed the day with two wins from her two horses competing across the BE100 and Novice sections.

Her novice H leader was the 11-year-old gelding Dryfe Royal Cavalier, which she fell "madly in love with" when she first saw him at breeder Julie Quinn's Millriggs Stud some years ago.

Defying his small 15.1hh size, Dryfe Royal Cavalier, which only began eventing as a nine-year-old, led from the outset on a 31 dressage, jumped double clear and romped around Kirrie's cross country in the second fastest novice time of the day, to add just 1.2 time penalties and maintain his section lead.

Second placed Wills Oakden and Cooley Bouncer, owned by Cindy Onslow, were the only combination to come home inside the optimum time. This was Bouncer's first novice event, following a win in the BE100 at Oasby.

Wills, who rides professionally from his base at Dunbog, in Fife, also collected the win in novice H1 on board another novice debutant, Chapeau – a six-year-old gelding which he owns jointly with Perthshire's Laura Grieve.

Laura bought Dudley over the phone from Vectholm Sport Horses, in the Peak District, two years ago after watching a 58-second YouTube clip of him loose jumping online.

"He was a good example of how not to buy a horse without seeing it in person, first because he was advertised as 15.2hh but arrived barely looking 14.2hh," she explained.

But since maturing to 15.3 and he and Laura amassed five top 10 placings out of five last season at BE100 level, including a win last time out at Eglinton.

"He produced a fantastic dressage – he just moves so well – but he's also the type of horse which you know just won't touch a pole in the showjumping. He just needs to learn not to lose time in the air XC," explained Wills, who will now share the ride with Laura throughout this year.

In the BE100 sections, Sonya gained another win in section F on-board her six-year-old home-bred mare Opposition Eclipse II, which jumped double clear, inside the time, to win on a score of just 25.

"It was my personal best dressage – and her personal best by about 10 marks," said Sonya.

Balcarres Estate's Katherine Lindsay took the win in section E with her new six-year-old Shannondale Somax, purchased at the end of last year from Rose Macpherson.

Katherine and 'Bear' built upon early season outings to Lincoln and Eden Valley to jump double clear and, with time penalties proving crucial across the sections, her 2.8 time proved sufficiently quick for them to win the section on 30.8.

The BE100 open win went to a previous Kirrie winner Kilhalle, owned by Kevin Hart, and now ridden by Cousland Park Livery-based Aimee Gardiner.

Aimee credits Celia Henderson for getting her the ride on the nine-year-old and said flatwork lessons from Maggie Paterson helped them on their way to their 28.5 double clear win.

Optimum time also proved crucial across the four BE90 classes, which suffered the worst of the early morning rain.

The sections were topped by Amy Farrow and Rockhill Roulette, Caitlin Padfield and Ridinghill Reward, George Crawford and Cairnside Ambition, and by Dunbar-based BSHII Karon Carson, who achieved the best winning score of the day on-board Excellent II, scoring just 24.5.

LEADINGawards

BE90A – 1, Rockhill Roulette, A Farrow, 37.0,0,0,1.6=36.6; 2, Scottish Law, D Scott, 31.0,0,0,8.8=39.8; 3, Evergreen, T Hynd, 34.5,0,0,9.2=43.7. BE90B – 1, Ridinghill Reward, C Padfield, 29.0,0,0,0=29.0; 2, Maybe Marble, M Chalmers, 29.5,0,0,0=29.5; 3, Miss Daffy Duck, A Ferrari, 32.0,0,0,0=32.0. BE90C – 1, Excellent II, K Carson, 24.5,0,0,0=24.5; 2, Greenburn Sunrise, J Moses, 25.0,0,0,2.0=27.0; 3, Princess Grange, T Macdougall, 25.5,4,0,0.4=29.9. BE90D – 1, Cairnside Ambition, G Crawford, 32.0,0,0,0=32.0; 2, Westendwind III, A Bogue, 31.5,4,0,0=35.5; 3, Karate Z, L Halil, 29.5,0,0,6.0=35.5.

BE100E – 1, Shannondale Somax, K Lindsay, 28.0,0,0,2.8=30.8; 2, Apaches Blaze, I Mackenzie, 31.5,0,0,0=31.5; 3, Spiral, F Robertson, 27.0,4,0,2.8=33.8. BE100F – 1, Opposition Eclipse II, S Cunningham, 25.0,0,0,0=25.0; 2, South Esk Cyrus, M Polson, 24.0,0,0,4.8=28.8; 3, Dante VI, A Lally, 26.0,0,0,3.6=29.6. BE100openG – 1, Kilhalle, A Gardiner, 28.5,0,0,0=28.5; 2, Made To Order, L Balfour, 29.0,0,0,0=29.0; 3, Rebel Stone, H Baird, 28.5,0,0,4.0=32.5.

Novice H – 1, Dryfe Royal Cavalier, S Cunningham, 31.0,0,0,1.2=32.2; 2, Cooley Bouncer, W Oakden, 35.0,0,0,0=35.0; 3, Chiara D, W Oakden, 37.5,0,0,4.8=42.3. Novice H1 – 1, Chapeau, W Oakden, 33.5,0,0,5.6=39.1; 2, Queens Diplomacy, D Scott, 35.0,0,0,7.2=42.2; 3, Dunbog Gypsy Rose, M Pringle, 33.5,4,0,9.2.